Our first van was 18 months old and was such a good second-hand bargain that we traded it in last Autumn without any 'loss', for a new one which more closely matched our wishes once we had some experience.
I think it would have been too much stress to tow a brand new van for the first time and we probably would've chosen much less wisely.
Our first one we bought 11 months ago second hand but barely used, it still smelt new. Delighted with it and it will hopefully last a while as we ended up spending more than we had decided we would. Really looking forward to our first real holiday in it, two weeks but not until the end of next month.
First van was a 1972/3 Sprite Alpine, bought about 1984 for £400 - sold 2005 for £200! Replacement van is a 1995 Sprite Super Alpine... don't know how long we'll keep this one!
Gram
------------- What's the difference between a chicken?
First van we brought was an 1974 4 berth monza for £200 part exchanged it for £450 in 2000 ,changed it to a 1994 swift challenger 520se 2001 then compass in 2006 kept that for 6 weeks did'nt like it october 2006 brought bailey senetor indiana
------------- Trice x
Life's to short make the most of everyday
Our first van in 1993 was a very old Merlin, we believe it was at least 25-30 years old when we got it.
Kept that for 3 years and have worked our way now through another 4 vans the last two being brand new - but there was something about being freezing cold in the morning, having running water/ice on the inside of the windows, no loo/ shower or electric which I loved at the time but do not want to return to.
By the way, all the second hand vans we sold for at least. if not more than we paid for them. We only started losing money on the deals when we started buying new and then they seem to be like cars and drop a grand or so as soon as you get them.
first caravan arriving on saturday (butterflies).......second hand 1997 Abbey Vogue GTS 417, after visiting every dealer in the area, bidding on ebay, finally bought one out of the local paper. Lovely people who are buying a new Elddis....something or other (sorry) !
Have had 2 motorhomes, a big american winnibago, and a swift suntor, hated it without transport and had lots of disastors with them so trying again!!! wish me luck!!
Our first van in 2000 was a 1987 Sprite Musketeer 14/4 Hallmark edition bought for £1400 which we sold in 2006 for £500 and bought a 1991 ABI Ace Ambassador which we love, however a new one would be fantastic - if only!
1st van was a 1989 Marauder, green in colour, paid £1495 from a 2nd hand caravan dealer back in 2002. Sold it back to the same dealer a year later.
2nd van was a huge 1988 twin axle Tabbert Comtesse, rescued it from under a tree at a local Caravan site in 2005, paid £700, tidied it up, used it once and sold it for £1800.
Then moved on to a Motorhome, a 1991 Talbot 5 berth, paid £6500. Went to Wales, had a crap time in it, came home, sold it for £9000, bought a nice car and gave up camping.
Until now........
Just bought a 2001, Pennine Pathfinder Folding Camper, off to Cheddar at the end of August, guess we just can't let go of this camping lark
Started many moons ago with a glass windows and gas lamps(new mantles frequently needed)..3rd hand elddis.
This lasted for 5 years. Gave up.
Restarted 2003.. 1988 Bailey Clifton 4 berth with Awning and all kit bought privately £700.Nice Van.Removed top bunk so..3 berth.Used til 2006
O/S very slightly scraped by a moron in a Ford Galaxy swinging wide to take a blind LH bend without slowing down. Cost his insurance company £2400 to repair theFord and him his NCB..
Replaced our van with a 1990 Marauder 450CT 4 berth ABI Bought last year off ebay (local seller) for £510. Great van. Double bed/four seats at each end Awning plus all kit including stabiliser and Bulldog hitch lock included.Sold the Clifton with full kit for £180 to a UKCS member.
New vans are taxed heavily. Used ones,even if bought 5 minutes after being collected brand new from the dealers are not
1st van we had was used,as we were very green and novice caravaners we were ripped off badly,i would advice buy a cheap van first learn the ropes and visit a really reputable dealer and buy new !!!
We bought ours new 4 years ago. Took us (me) 4 years to decide which one we (she) wanted / could afford.. Couldn't really afford it then, can only just do so now. Even when we did buy it, it was a "Bet you wouldn't dare" situation at a caravan show where we only went "for a look!". Gonna be paid off next April - WOOOHOOO.
Quote: Originally posted by Gram on 14/8/2007
First van was a 1972/3 Sprite Alpine, bought about 1984 for £400 - sold 2005 for £200! Replacement van is a 1995 Sprite Super Alpine... don't know how long we'll keep this one!
Our first caravan was a new Bailey 550/6. Got it in April this year. We had gone to buy a tent in the sale after a 3 night camping trip. Caravans are much warmer. Probably keep it for about 3 years and would like get one with a bigger washroom next time. When I was talked around to buying a caravan (which I now love) we were going to buy one at 2-3 years old with our budget of about 8.5K, but for the extra 1.5K we were getting a brand new one, so we did spend a little more than expected. Especially when I had set a budget of £250.00 for a new tent.
we used my in laws caravan then they upgraded to a static, so this year we decided to buy a tent first, but i was only used for one night and hated it, was cold wet and windy! we sold it and bought a lunar delta twin 5 berth caravan for £1500 had problems sat in our drive for a couple of months never used, so sold it for £1,100 and purchased a brand new bailey bretagne 6 berth last week, going off in it next weekend for the first time, cant wait!
Amazing family weekend with old steam engines, classic car displays, market stalls, and full catering and bar. And camping on site - Save £25 by booking in advance.
Topic: Your 1st caravan - new or used?
Really looking forward to our first real holiday in it, two weeks but not until the end of next month.
